Family Matters – Meet Patrice Shelton

For Patrice Shelton it all comes down to family. It was Patrice’s passion for strengthening families that led to the formation of the Hillside Family Support Team, which she now leads. Patrice shared a little of her journey with us,

“I’ve always had family there for me, but it’s always been my own personal choices that sometimes haven’t agreed with their values. I took a year off from school, I guess you can say I’m still taking a year off.

I started my family when I was 20. I was told at 16 that I would never be able to have children but I’ve been blessed with two boys. I’ve raised my two boys and took care of four other kids until they were grown. I lost my mom when I was 25 and that left me lost but pushed me harder to keep my faith.”

Then a friend introduced her to Embrace Richmond,

“I needed to get out of my apartment, and once I got there, I liked that they were about helping people that really needed it. I’ve been called to help because of my upbringing and there always being someone there to help those in need. There are so many children and elderly here that need help but can’t speak for themselves. If I had a magic wand, I would fix it so there was always enough love, food, and faith. With those three things we should be able to knock out all the bad things.”

You can help Patrice and her team make a difference in their community. Simple things like offering transportation for family outings, providing gift cards for event raffles, or coming alongside a family as an encourager are just a few of the ways you can help the family support team strengthen the families in Hillside Court.

It is our desire to continue to support Patrice as one of our most promising community leaders. It cost’s more than $10,000 per year to fund the training, supervision and provide living allowances for each of our community leaders. Please consider financially supporting Embrace Richmond so that wonderful people like Patrice can continue to do the good work they are called to do in their communities. Click here to make your donation.

Please also pray for Patrice and the team of Hillside residents that she is gathering and building up.